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Council forms two ad hoc committees with Ojai Unified School District to explore housing and student partnerships
Summary
The council agreed to form two time-limited ad hoc committees to explore potential collaboration with Ojai Unified School District on workforce housing (housing ad hoc) and student involvement in city programs (student engagement ad hoc). Special housing counsel engagement was paused pending council direction.
The Ojai City Council on Aug. 26 established two ad hoc committees to begin focused, exploratory conversations with the Ojai Unified School District (OUSD). One ad hoc committee will focus on workforce housing and related property opportunities; the other will explore student involvement in city programs and internships.
Nut graf: Council members said the ad hoc structure is intended for information gathering and short-term exploration rather than binding negotiations; any final agreements would return to the full council and the school board for approval. Members emphasized that ad hoc discussions should be public, time-limited and report periodically to the council.
The housing ad hoc will be convened by Council member Whitman and Mayor Gilman; the student-involvement ad hoc will be convened by Council member Ruhl and Council member Meng. Each ad hoc was given an initial six-month term and an obligation to report back periodically.
Staff also noted the council previously authorized special housing counsel (Sunny Soltani/A&W) but that the council elected to pause further engagement of outside counsel on housing negotiations until the ad hoc work produced clearer policy direction and questions to forward to counsel.
Ending: Council members suggested ad hoc membership could change over time and asked staff to return with periodic informational reports; the council also directed staff to coordinate a community open-house (Chaparral presentation) so council members could view OUSD concepts and gather information before substantive commitments.
